This application claims benefit of Japanese application No. Hei 11-235710 filed in Japan on Aug. 23, 1999, 2000-016312 filed in Japan on Jan. 25, 2000, 2000-018951 filed in Japan on Jan. 27, 2000, 2000-018952 filed in Japan on Jan. 27, 2000, 2000-029516 filed in Japan on Feb. 7, 2000, 2000-030828 filed in Japan on Feb. 8, 2000, 2000-030829 filed in Japan on Feb. 8, 2000, 2000-044900 filed in Japan on Feb. 22, 2000, 2000-175796 filed in Japan on Jun. 12, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light source device for an endoscope for controlling an intensity of an illumination light delivered to a light guide of an endoscope by using a DMD.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscope device for performing endoscbpe inspection by using an endoscope has popularly been used in medical fields and industrial fields.
The endoscope inspection is performed to various objects to be observed (object to be inspected) such as a tubular object or a recessed surface, e.g., the inner wall of a stomach. For example, observation is performed such that a planar portion is magnified and closely observed.
For this reason, illumination is desirably performed such that an endoscope image in which an object to be observed can be easily diagnosed or inspected is objected.
Therefore, for example, DE19741616 discloses a method of eliminating dotted reflective luminescent spots generated on the surface of a mucosa by using one matrix field constituted by a optical elements capable of reflection and/or absorption as an illumination device.
However, the detailed configuration of the method is not disclosed.
It is an object to provide a light source device for an endoscope device which can easily perform such illumination that an endoscope image which can be easily diagnosed or inspected a depending on an object to be observed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an endoscope device which can perform brightness control at a high response speed.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a light source device and an endoscope device which can be easily set in a white balance state.
According to the present invention, there is provided an endoscope device for observing the inside of an object to be inspected,-comprising:
a light source lamp for generating an illumination light supplied to an endoscope;
the mirror device constituted by a silicon chip, arranged on an optical path of the illumination light generated from the light source lamp, and having a reflective surface formed by a plurality of micromirrors on a light-exposing side of the illumination light,
the micromirrors on the reflective surface being designed such that the micromirror can be moved within a predetermined angle range;
a receptacle to which a light guide of the endoscope is connected;
the receptacle being arranged on an optical path of a reflected light obtained by reflecting the illumination light generated from the light source lamp when the angles of the micromirrors formed in the mirror device are fixed to a predetermined position;
an image pickup element for picking up the image of an object to be photographed illuminated with the illumination light;
a video signal processing circuit for performing video signal processing of an output signal from the image pickup element;
an illumination light intensity setting circuit for setting an intensity of illumination light illuminating the object;
an illumination light intensity adjustment circuit for outputting an adjustment signal for adjusting the illumination light being incident on the light guide of the endoscope in the form of a pattern on the basis of the illumination light intensity set by the illumination light intensity setting circuit and the video signal processed by the video signal processing circuit; and
a mirror element drive circuit for outputting a drive signal for changing each micromirror formed in the mirror device to arbitrary angle positions on the basis of the adjustment signal output from the illumination light adjustment circuit,
the mirror element drive circuit operating each micromirror between a first angle position at which at least a part of a reflected light obtained such that the illumination light generated by the light source lamp is reflected on the reflective surfaces of the mirror device is incident on the light guide and a second angle position at which the part of the reflected light is not incident on the light guide.
The mirror device is driven by the video signal obtained by picking up the image of the object through the mirror element drive circuit, so that an image having such brightness that the object can be easily diagnosed or inspected at a high response speed.